The Creature Garden

The Creature Garden is a beautiful book. Just beautiful. 

Billed as an illustrator’s guide to drawing animals, it’s just as much a picture book for adults. 

Each animal (and that includes birds, fish and mythological creatures) gets a full page, full colour illustration. Then there are facts about the animal and tips on drawing them. The animal illustrations are interspersed with little flowers and plants and these also get a chapter at the end. (I think these might be a bit more achievable for my drawing skill level!) 

The artists have a particular, whimsical style of drawing, which may not suit everyone. I did think that their big cats looked more ursine than feline. 

But the illustrations, (my favourite being the hare) are just stunning. 

Thanks to Net Galley and Quarto publishing/ Rock Point.